by El Edwards
The address Ryan had given me was for a bottom floor flat. I pressed the buzzer, not expecting any reply but trying anyway, just in case. When that didn’t rouse anyone I tried the top flat but still no one answered. Lunchtime on a Tuesday might not be the best time to find people home but it was all I had so I knocked on the house next door and was rewarded by the sight of an elderly looking lady. I showed her Toby’s photo and crossed my fingers.
“Sorry dear, I don’t see no-one without me specs.”
“And you live on your own? No family with you? Regular visitors?”
She was ancient enough looking, I couldn’t imagine she ran the whole house single-handedly. There had to be people coming and going and I wanted to know if one of them might have seen something.
“Just me and Peg.”
“Peg?”
“Me cat. Me ol’ man, God rest his soul, passed on years ago.”
“And you’ve been here on your own ever since?” At another time, under different circumstances, this was the sort of lady I’d love to sit and natter with. The stories she’d tell, oral history at its very best, but this was now and I had work to do. I thanked her for her time, gave her my card and tried the house on the other side of Ryan’s flat.
“They’re at work dear. Won’t get no joy there I’m afraid.”
I looked over to see my new friend still watching me and had an idea. I walked down the little path, out the gate and back up the path to her house. “If I left you a copy of his photo, would you show it to them? Ask if they’ve seen him around?”
“You mean like your side-kick?” Her face lit up when she said this.
I smiled. “If you like.” I leaned in and whispered. “It would need to be our little secret though.”
“Of course.” She looked a little indignant. “What do you take me for?”
I didn’t know how to answer that so I said nothing. Instead I gave her the photo of Toby and thanked her again for her help. She took the glasses that were hanging round her neck, put them on, and turned my card over in her fingers.
“Charlie Diamond?”
“That’s me,” I said with a smile.
“What sort of a name is that? Is that your real name dear?”
I felt my face flush. “Well it’s actually Charlotte, but only my mum calls me that.”
“Charlotte. Such a pretty name.”
“Doesn’t really suit my image as the smart investigator though.”
She laughed at that. “I suppose not. Well Charlie Diamond, leave it with me. I’ll ask next door, might even pop across the street. The old fella there is always home and his eyes are a damned sight better than mine. If this chap of yours turns up, we’ll know about it.”
I decided against explaining that he wasn’t my chap and instead simply thanked her. I left Barnstaple feeling a lot more positive than I had an hour ago, certain as I was that if Toby did indeed come back, I was sure to be alerted. All I could do now was go home and hope my SWAT team of elderlies came through for me.
NINETEEN
Several hours and one uneventful journey later, I made my way through the village. Not for the first time, I thought about how glad I was we’d ended up here. Gloddfa Bont could be a bit invasive, it was almost impossible to keep anything a secret for long, but the people were kind and it felt like home. I couldn’t imagine leaving my two teenage daughters to fend for themselves in Cardiff but here it was like the most natural thing in the world to ask one of the neighbours to check in on them, even if the girls thought it was totally unnecessary. I parked the van in front of our house and was glad to see the lights on. We’d not decorated for Christmas yet but there was a warm glow from the lamp in the front room. It was good to be home. I turned the key, giving the door its customary shove, and waited to see who’d greet me first.
“Hello? I’m home!”
Missy came rushing into the hallway, almost falling over her own feet in her excitement. I gave her a fuss, laughed as she danced around in circles, then headed into the kitchen to find Louise and Grace sat together at the table, heads together over a phone. I wanted to hold that moment in my mind forever, a picture of happiness in stark contrast to our usual reality.
Louise saw me first and she leapt up. “Mum! Hello!” She gave me a kiss and we exchanged hugs.
Grace looked up and nodded her head in my direction. “Hello.”
“Hiya Gracie.” She offered me the side of her head and I planted a kiss on it. “You okay?”
“Yep. We were just looking at lights for the tree.” She pointed at her phone.
I turned to Louise and gave her a look.
“Christmas tree lights,” she explained. “Thought it was about time we got a bit festive. Did you see lights on The Bont on your way up? They look amazing!”
I had to smile. Every year they did this. I’d pretend I didn’t want us to make too much fuss and they’d totally ignore me and decorate our home like it was the local pub with streamers hanging from every visible beam, fairy lights round the fireplace and a nine foot Christmas tree in the front room window. Secretly I loved it but I knew that if I didn’t play along it would completely ruin their fun.
I put the kettle on then delivered my expected line. “Are we sure we want to bother this year? Maybe we should tone things down a bit?”
“No way!”
“Oh Mum!”
They rolled their eyes at me and I laughed. “Okay, okay, if you’re sure. Speaking of The Bont, how do you two fancy nipping in there for dinner tonight?”
“On a Tuesday? Are you sure you want to after what happened last week?” Louise asked.
“I’ll stick to water tonight. Been such a long drive, even the one glass of wine’ll probably tip me over the edge!”
It was at times like this that I missed being part of a couple. The girls were great but it wasn’t like them to ask how my journey was or if it had been a worthwhile trip. There was no-one to commiserate with when things were tricky and when I had a breakthrough on a case, it ended up being a celebration for one. I thought about ringing Rob but he’d made it clear how he felt about my case. The last thing I needed was him twisting this latest development to prove yet again that he was right and I was wrong.
“How hungry are you? Have I got time for a quick shower before we go?”
They could wait, they told me, so I headed upstairs to freshen up. I’d just stepped under the shower when I heard the phone ring. After a couple of rings though it stopped and I smiled, one of the girls must have got it. I took my time, thankful that the days of having to go running down the stairs dripping wet to answer the phone were long gone.
Twenty minutes later I was all scrubbed up and ready to go. I practically skipped downstairs, the prospect of an evening with my girls giving me a burst of energy. Grace was waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs and when I saw her face I wanted to disappear back upstairs.
“That was Gran.”
My heart sunk. “What did she want?”
“Dinner, tomorrow.”
“And you told her we were busy?” Please say yes, please say yes.
“Sorry Mum. She caught me off guard. I couldn’t think of anything to say.”
“Cleaning the oven, plucking my eyebrows, bathing the dog? Any of the above?” I smiled. I couldn’t be cross with her, I knew how tricky my mother could be. “Don’t worry about it. What time does she want us?”
“Six. Can I stay here?”
“You’re kidding right?” I laughed. “You’ve got about as much chance of skipping dinner with Gran as I have of winning the lottery.”
“But you don’t even do the lottery Mum.”
“I don’t fancy your chances then.”
Grace pulled a face.
“Don’t look at me like that. You’re the one who said yes. Anyway, forget about it for now. Let’s go.”
I grabbed my keys and purse and followed my daughters outside and down the road towards our friendly village pub. I watched them as
they walked together, counting the Christmas lights on our neighbour’s houses as they went. They’d been playing the same game for years. Each picked a side of the road, the crown being awarded to whoever picked the side with the most lights. And yes, the lights had to be switched on and, no, multiple sets of lights on the same house didn’t count more than once. The competition was fierce but good-humoured and I didn’t think I’d ever tire of watching them play. Thoughts of Christmas inevitably brought Abigail front of mind. After a good night’s sleep in my own bed I was determined to get straight back to work. First stop, Abigail’s house.
TWENTY
True to my word, I drank water all night and woke the following morning with a clear head. It was another beautiful sunny day so after waving the girls off to catch the bus to school, I sat outside with my coffee and Abigail's folder. I needed to update her on everything that had happened in Barnstaple but first I wanted to get the details documented. Paperwork done I phoned Abigail and arranged to visit her within the hour. As much as I didn’t want to upset her, I needed to know if she and Toby had any connections in Barnstaple that might explain why he’d been there. I also needed to know more about his family. They were still a mystery to me. For all I knew he had an identical twin living and working in Devon. Unlikely but I had to cover all possibilities.
When I pulled up outside her house, Abigail’s front door stood wide open. I knocked and when there was no reply, walked into the hallway.
“Hello? Anyone home?”
I could hear voices coming from the kitchen so I headed in that direction. I’d expected to maybe find Abigail doing the dishes with the radio blaring, or if not the dishes, some other mundane chore that didn’t require her to be fully engaged. What I hadn’t expected was to find her sitting at the kitchen table in front of a laptop with two men watching her.
“Abigail?”
All three of them looked up at me. Abigail smiled and stood up. “Charlie! Thank goodness you’re here!”
I looked from her to the men. “What’s going on?”
One of the men offered me his hand. “Steve Parsons, County Court Bailiff. And you are?”
I shook his hand. “Charlie Diamond, private investigator. What’s all this about?”
“I’m not at liberty to disclose that to you ma’am.”
I ignored him and turned to Abigail. “Abigail?”
“Toby owes money. Something to do with work.” She handed me some paperwork to look at.
“Forty-eight grand?!?” I couldn’t keep the shock out of my voice.
“And if I don’t pay it they say they’re going to take the car and stuff. Can they do that?”
“Maybe. I guess. Although, it’s kind of tricky.” I lowered my voice. “Have you told them Toby’s missing?”
She nodded. “Said it doesn’t matter, they’ll just catalogue what we’ve got then I’ve got five days to pay.”
I turned to Steve. “Can I have a word with you in private?”
“I can’t discuss the details with a third party.”
“I’m not asking you to. I just need to speak to you privately.” He nodded and I led him out of the kitchen into Abigail’s front room. “Her husband is missing, has been for six months now. I know you can’t discuss details with me but is there nothing you can do to give her a bit of space?”
I saw a flicker of emotion pass across his face. “What’s your relationship to Mrs Rogers?”
“She’s hired me to find him, dead or alive.”
His eyes widened. “You think he might be …’ He drew a finger across his neck and pulled a face.
“Too soon to say. But that’s why we need some time. He has a policy that’ll cover the debt. That’s got to be easier for you than trying to find stuff here to cover it.”
He nodded and went back into the kitchen without saying anything more. When I walked in I saw him whispering in his partner’s ear. The second man nodded and then looked at Abigail. They stayed like that, deep in conversation, for nearly a minute and I was about to suggest to Abigail that she might like to put the kettle on when Steve turned to Abigail.
“Mrs Rogers, I understand this is a difficult situation for you. You should have had letters …”
“There’s been nothing. I swear.” Abigail turned to me. “Charlie tell them, if I’d known. This has to be a big misunderstanding.”
Steve held up his hand to silence her. “You should have had letters, but I understand they might have gone to your husband’s place of work instead.”
“Oh. Well that’s not much good, seeing as he hasn’t been there in months.” She gave a bitter laugh. “You could have sent a letter every day and he wouldn’t have received them.”
“Under the circumstances, we’d be willing to give you a grace period. Maybe if Ms Diamond here can find your husband he’ll be able to sort this all out himself.”
“I’m sure that’ll be top of his list of priorities when he escapes. Send the bailiffs some money? Check. Hug the wife and kids? Check.” Despite her feistiness, Abigail looked like she might cry and that was one scene I was keen to have away from prying eyes.
“A grace period sounds terrific,” I said. “Thank you so much. If there’s nothing else, Mrs Rogers and I have a meeting.”
I tried to shepherd the pair in the direction of the front door but Steve would not be rushed. He scribbled his signature on a form on his clipboard, tore a copy from the top and put it on the table. “I’ll leave a copy of our writ here for you Mrs Rogers. Plus my card. If you need anything, give me a ring.”
I showed the two men to the door and closed it firmly behind them. I waited there for a moment, enjoying the peace of the now near-empty house. I’d only come to update her on my trip but instead had got dragged into a whole new mess. I didn’t know when Toby had run up the debt or why he’d chosen to keep it a secret from Abigail. It felt like the closer I got to figuring him out, the less I actually knew about him and I was having a hard time reconciling this new version of him with the picture painted by his wife of the happy family man. There was no way I could tell her about Barnstaple now. The poor lady would probably have a nervous breakdown at the thought of her precious husband flipping burgers and sleeping on sofas. Instead, after calming her down and reassuring her that I’d help her sort the mess out, I made an excuse about needing to follow a new line of enquiry. With a promise that I’d be in touch again soon, I got in my van and headed back along the M4 in the direction of the building site. It was time Bill Winkleman understood that I meant business.
TWENTY-ONE
I parked in the same stretch of dirt as I had on my first visit and went straight to Bill’s office. I knocked on the door, waited a couple of seconds, and when no-one called me in, went in anyway. Bill was sat behind his desk, glued to the phone. He looked up when he saw me and smiled. He waved for me to take a seat opposite his desk.
“Yep, yep, that all sounds superb. Listen, got to go. Something’s come up. I’ll call you later. Bye.” Call over he turned to me. “Sorry about that. The wife wants to organise a Christmas party for some of the neighbours. Anyway, you didn’t come to hear about that. What can I do for you?”
I didn’t return his smile and instead gave him my ‘I mean business’ face. “I need you to be straight with me Bill.”
“Of course. When haven’t I been?”
I ignored his question. “What do you know about Toby’s business debts?”
“Business debts? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Abigail Rogers was visited by bailiffs today. Drawing up a list of assets they can remove if she doesn’t pay the forty-eight thousand pounds owed by Toby.” I kept my eyes fixed on Bill, looking for any hint of recognition.
His eyes flickered to the floor, just for a split-second. If I hadn’t been watching him so carefully I’d have totally missed it but it had definitely been there in his eyes. Fear. And something else. Guilt? Gotcha!
I decided to go in for the jugular. “
Can you imagine what that would do to a person? Bad enough she has her children crying because they miss their daddy, with Christmas coming and they don’t even know if they’ll see him again. The pressure of raising two young children single-handedly. Do you have any idea what that’s like Bill? And now, to top it all, her home is at risk.” I paused to draw a breath.
“What do you want me to say?” He looked like a man defeated.
“It would help if you’d start by telling me what you know about Toby’s business affairs. How is it possible for a man to wrack up that kind of a debt without his wife knowing about it? What was he spending the money on?”
“How the hell am I meant to know that?” He shook his head. “He’d visit the site, do his work, have a bit of a laugh with the lads, but we’d never talk about money.”
“The bailiffs were very specific Bill. This was work related debt. How the hell could you not have known?”
I sighed. Whatever he knew, he wasn’t about to tell me.
“I need to speak to the guys on site. Who was Toby working with?”
Bill took a clipboard from his desk and flicked through the pages. “Hard to say exactly. I can give you a few names but I doubt they’d know anything.”
“Names would be great, thanks.”
I waited while he wrote three names on a piece of paper.
“Start with these three. They’re the general supervisors. They’ll be able to tell you who else Toby was in contact with.”
I took the list and stood up.
“Charlie?”
“What?”
“Just be careful how you go.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I didn’t like his tone.
“I just meant, it’s a building site, so watch your step.”
Yeah right. “Thanks. I’ll keep that in mind.”
I felt Bill watching me through the window as I picked my way across the site towards a group of labourers. The men stopped what they were doing when they saw me.
